# Judge orders halt to Liberia deportation for Maryland man wrongly sent to El Salvador  
**Published:** 2026-05-28T21:09:17.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/repub/kilmar-abrego-garcia-fights-deportation-to-liberia-after-criminal-charges-dropped/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/judge-orders-halt-to-liberia-deportation-for-maryland-man-wrongly-sent-to-el

Following a federal judge's dismissal of criminal charges against him last week, Kilmar Abrego Garcia filed a motion Thursday in Maryland federal court seeking to block his deportation to Liberia and demand his removal only to Costa Rica, which has offered him refugee status.

Abrego Garcia's case has drawn national scrutiny since his [wrongful deportation to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison in March 2025](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/repub/kilmar-abrego-garcia-fights-deportation-to-liberia-after-criminal-charges-dropped/), despite a 2019 court order protecting him from removal to that country. [The Maryland resident, who had been living legally in the U.S. with his wife and children, was deported as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation operation](https://abcnews.com/US/timeline-wrongful-deportation-kilmar-abrego-garcia-el-salvador/story?id=120803843), which the government later acknowledged was an administrative error.

On May 22, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed the Department of Justice's indictment against Abrego Garcia, calling the prosecution "vindictive and selective." The charges stemmed from a 2022 traffic stop and alleged human smuggling. [According to court documents, the judge found that absent Abrego Garcia's successful legal challenge to his unlawful deportation, the government would not have pursued the prosecution.](https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/05/22/in-nashville-a-federal-judge-dismisses-indictment-against-kilmar-abrego-garcia/)

In his latest habeas petition before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland, Abrego Garcia argues that the Trump administration has not made good faith efforts to remove him to a country where he would not face persecution or be returned to El Salvador. He notes that Costa Rica has agreed to grant him refugee status, but the administration has only permitted removal there if he pleaded guilty to the Tennessee charges—which have now been dismissed.

"Considered cumulatively, the Government's message is clear: because Abrego Garcia successfully challenged his unlawful removal to CECOT, declined the Government's plea offer, and has continued to prevail in courts, the Government would rather seek to unlawfully remove him to a distant third country," according to the filing. "That is not a removal policy. It is punishment."

The Trump administration has previously sought to deport Abrego Garcia to Eswatini and Uganda, both countries with no prior connection to him. [While detained in CECOT, Abrego Garcia's lawyers say he was severely beaten and forced to kneel for nine straight hours upon arrival.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/07/02/kilmar-abrego-garcia-cecot-conditions/)

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/repub/kilmar-abrego-garcia-fights-deportation-to-liberia-after-criminal-charges-dropped/)
- [ABC News timeline of Abrego Garcia's wrongful deportation to El Salvador](https://abcnews.com/US/timeline-wrongful-deportation-kilmar-abrego-garcia-el-salvador/story?id=120803843)
- [Tennessee Lookout reporting on federal judge's dismissal of charges](https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/05/22/in-nashville-a-federal-judge-dismisses-indictment-against-kilmar-abrego-garcia/)
- [Washington Post report on Abrego Garcia's treatment in CECOT prison](https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/07/02/kilmar-abrego-garcia-cecot-conditions/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/repub/kilmar-abrego-garcia-fights-deportation-to-liberia-after-criminal-charges-dropped/.